Imagery:

A dark-spotted green serpent wearing a gold crown is biting its own tale (an Ouroboros). The serpent’s body forms two coils (a figure 8) with each coil containing a disk – and within each disk is a yin/yang symbol. The top disk is white and contains a yin/yang sympol painted a dark green on the top and yellow on the bottom. The inside contains the alchemical symbols for fire and water.

The lower disk is black and contains a yin/yang symbol painted dark purple on the top and yellow on the bottom. The inside contains the alchemical symbols for earth and air.

Outside of the serpent, the background consists of different shades of lavender.

Symbolism:

Likewise, the black and white disks symbolizes balance as well. The four triangles within the yin/yang symbols represent the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.

The white disk contains the sigil for Jupiter and the black disk contains the sigil for Capricorn.

The crown that the serpent is wearing symbolizes wisdom and mastery.

The serpent itself symbolizes wisdom, the meaning for Chokmah.

Musings:

According to Crowely, this card may be considered to be “The picture of the complete manifested Universe, in respect to dynamics.”

The yin/yang symbols with the triangles representing the four elements suggests change on all levels. It is also interesting to note that the two Yin/Yang symbols are rotating in opposite direction, perhaps suggesting inner vs. outer change. Crowley states in the Book of Thoth that these Yin/Yang symbols “represent the harmonious interplay of the Four Elements in constant movement.

The sigils for Jupiter and Capricorn suggest expansion and contraction – ups and downs. We see a lot of opposites in this card: black/white, yin/yang, Jupiter/Capricorn, symbols rotating in opposite directions – this suggests to me that harmony is the balance of opposites. I’ve had this card come up in readings signifying bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

The crown that the serpent wears may point to mastery over change. One thought that popped into my head was “Change is king” – it rules over all of us. Crowns can often symbolize wisdom.

Keywords:

Change, Ups and downs, being flexible, transformation, resturcturing, expansion & contraction, balace, gain and loss, multi-tasking, juggling different options, being open to change, harmony of change, harmony of opposites, weakness and strength, cyclic fluctuation, growth through change, variety is the spice of life, robbing Peter to pay Paul, gains & losses, learning to adapt, new approaches, making ends meet, movement in your life, pulled in many different directions, a need to make a decision, skillful manipulation, going with the flow, market fluctuations,

Ill-dignified:

A conflict of interests, unreliable, change leading to disharmony, too much change, overextended, entanglements, red tape, overwhelmed by complexity, difficulty in maintaining balance, scatterbrained, stuck on a treadmill, instability

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